A MINE HORROR. Thrilling Account of a Disaster at Virginia City. NARROW ESCAPE OF HUNDREDS OF MINERS FROM A FEARFUL DEATH.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 213, 30 July 1887, Page 5

A MINE HORROR. Thrilling Account of a Disaster at Virginia City. NARROW ESCAPE OF HUNDREDS OF MINERS FROM A FEARFUL DEATH.

A terrible dibaster has occurred at Gould i and Curry's mine, on the Combtock lode, Virginia City. An eye witness writes : "A lire broke oat about 15 minutes after G o'clock in the evening. At the time botli of fche cages were down the shaft. As T approached the mouth of the bhaft the black ilnmeu rolled up with groat fury and toon filled the hoisting-works. The moment I drew near the shaft I detected the smoke ! that came from burning giant powder. |

BOXE> OF GIANT POWDER. There were several boxes of this powder on the 1, 300-foot level. At that moment &omc one on the 800-foot level rang to hoi^t the cage from that point, George was on the cage when it came up. He reported that the fire was below the 800-foot station, and that they could get no further down the shaft on account of the dense smoke. Lairy liignail was the station-tender on the noith compartment of the Bonner t>haft. He got on board the north cage and signalled to John McLane, the engineer, to lower him to the 1,500-foot level to lescuc the six men that were woi king there. At thii time the black smoke was rolling out of the mouth of the shaft, and when the bra\e Larry said "drop her fast," into the dark place, it looked like suicide. When Lairy got below the 1,.'U)0foot level ho shot down into a blaze of fiie. As he cxpi eased it, "It -was one blaxc of many-eolouied lights." He jumped for the bell-iope and tiied to stop the cage. The shaft was one mass of fire. After a few efforts the signal lang and the cage stopped. He rang to nusc to the 1,800-foot level. The engineer understood his signals and ran him up to the 1,300-foot level, where he found .seven men at the station.

SUFFOCATING HEAT. These men were working on the 1 ,300-foofc level, and were nearly suffocated with the heat. The boys had discovered the lire and wcie waiting, gL oping and crawling on the floor of the station. They all got on board the cage and were hoi&ted with lightning speed to the suiface. The smoke in the hoisting-works had grown bo dense that the engineer, John Me Lane, could not see tin cc feet in fiont of him. The indicator showing the portion of the cage as it goes up and down in the slrifp was totally ob&cured by the thick, sickening smoke that rolled out of the shaft. There was the engineer with the throttle of the engine pulled wide open =-^"!.t f"i"tihg men on the cage -the hoisting-works filled with blinding smoke — the indicator totally obscured. The alarm bell, showing the case is within 200 feet of the suiface, is lung. In thiity seconds more the cage will be in the shceves with death to all on board. To stop is suffocation. The biave engineer crawled on his hands and knees to the indicator. The touch of his lingers on the face of the dial tells him what his eyes cannot. At the exact time he springs to his lever and shuts off" steam just as the cage reaches the level of the collar of the shaft. The eight men were leeling from the influence ot the deadly gas— one minute longer and not one man of the eight on the cage would have been alive. \vithout " Larry " and " Johnnie " not a man of the 1,300-foot crew would be alive to-day. As soon as the 1,300-foot men got off the cage, Mr Lyman, Superintendent, sent the north cage down to the 1, 500-foot.

FATAL DELAY. The boys on the 250 and 300 foot levels did not get out alive. They could have come out the long tunnel if they had been a little quicker. The smoke in the long tunnel rolled along as fast as a man could run. It was so thick that a man could go into the tunnel but a few feet. After the smoke diminished we got in the tunnel and got the men out. There was a little life in Bob Trounce and Joncey Morgan, but their hearts had ceased to beat. Meantime the 000-foot boys got out through the Savage. They said they smelled the smoke and thought it was on the GOO station from the amount of .smdte. They came through into the Savago drifts, the thick- black smoke rolling as fast as a man could run, and it was very near overtaking them. It was a close hard game for the boys, U t they beat it.

AT THE BONNER SHAFT. The smoko in the hoisting-works at the Bonner shaft was terrible. We had to keep three men to watch the fireman, as he was liable to be overcome at any moment with this terrible treacherous gas. The engineers were in the same way. We also kept a relay of five men to keep their hands on the bell-rope of the north cage to feel any signals from below. When the alarm was given the air-com-pressor "svaa sbai ted at half-past 7 o'clock, and the gauge on the engine showed a pressure of SOlbs to the inch and running very

slow. This showed that the men below were not taking air. At 15 minutes to 9 o'clock there Avas a decided change in the pressure. Either the imprisoned men on the 1,500-foot level opened the valve to give themselves air or the 2i-incli pipe broke. The pressure, which had been 801bs, went down immediately to 351bs, and the speed increased at once to 60 strokes to the minute. It has remained there without change since that time. At I o'clock that night the impiisoncd men on the 1,500-foot level gave distinct raps on the rock. They were heard very distinctly by the men in the rescue drift that Patton is sending through from the Consolidated Virginia side. Without the air-pipe those men could not have lived two hours. Now we know that four and one-half hours after the calamity the men were living and did have strength enough to signal to the men in the rescue drift. Thi.i shows that there is a small chance for the 15 men who are imprisoned there to be alive.